Sunday, May 23, 2021

DID I, OR DIDN'T I ?

Another lesson learned ..... did I or didn't I take that daily antihistamine pill due in the regimen I started one recent weekend when the pollens worsened my reactions -- sneezing, sinus drainage, eyes watering, nasal stuffiness when I try to sleep, to name a few unpleasantries.  I recall noting directions said to allow 24 hours before taking the next pill as I was holding the pill bottle.

Suddenly, the phone had rung from a number I had, coincidentally, been thinking of calling myself, not some obvious unwelcome sales promotion.   S'pose that was ESP as I've experienced quite a few times before with phone calls through the years.  But, I digress -- that's quite another topic.  That catch-up phone conversation with my friend ended after a reasonable time with all pertinent topics covered, questions answered.   

A couple hours later, I happened to think -- "Did I take that antihistamine pill?"  I remembered holding the pill bottle, but did I take that pill just before answering that phone call?  I'm not sure, but I don't think so.  So I took a pill.   Then, I started to have second thoughts.  "What if I took a pill before?"  I reviewed the directions and read again what I remembered -- definite instructions "do not take another pill for 24 hours"!

Oh, my gosh!  What if I had taken a pill earlier and this one only 3 hours later -- is that an overdose -- and what could happen -- what should I do?  Obviously, this called for an Internet search which brought up -- "Call poison control!"

Referring to a more specific product link, I read the side effects I could experience -- "nausea, dizziness" and more unwelcome symptoms, plus "call your Doctor if you experience these".  Also, the description said if no complications I would just have to ride along with them 'til they were out of my system.  So, I settled back, to await my fate.

Fortunately, many hours passed without my having any of those side effects indicating I had not taken two pills as I had been concerned I might have done.  I've never had this kind of pill quandary previously and I don't want it again.  Another time, maybe I should make a little note on my calendar when I take that pill. 

I wonder if others ever find themselves in a dilemma over whether or not they took a pill they wouldn't want to overdose on? 


25 comments:

  1. Yep. (-:

    I've have a special wall calendar for the sole purpose of noting down what time I take over-the-counter medications, some of which are antihistamines, Tylenol and Tagamet, all of which I would not want to accidentally overdose on and all of which I take on an as-needed basis.

    For years, I had have a pill case for vitamin and herbal supplements which have been pared down to a multivitamin and a daily dose of vitamin D3. Although my memory is good enough for most things, it doesn't work well when it comes to remembering whether I have taken an over-the-counter pill or vitamin supplement or not. I am fortunate in not needing to take any prescription medication (-:

    My tested allergies include mold, house dust, trees, grass, weeds and various foods. From the late 1970s to some time in the 1990s, I was given weekly allergy shots. The allergy doctor said not to worry about the food allergies. The allergy shots helped with the environmental allergies but I continued to be susceptible to severe sinus infections every spring (pollen) and fall (mold -- Western Washington is exceedingly moldy!). It was only when I eliminated the foods that I was allergic to that the sinus infections ceased.

    In addition, in 1987 I was able to identify that sugar aggravated my allergies. When I eliminated sugar from my menu, my health in general improved immensely. I have gone for years without sugar and then experimented with it, hoping that I could eat it again. Each experiment brought a return of chronic health problems that resolved when I stopped eating sugar.

    Thank you for bringing up the topic of memory and allergies!

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    1. Your comment has me wondering about the cause of all too frequent bouts with sinus infections I’ve had

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  2. I certainly do. Par for the course for Seniors like us.

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    1. I’ll certainly be sure to make a note of such pill intake in the future as I don't want such concerns in the future.

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  3. I have not had issues with taking pills, but I do find that I need more and more to write things down, so that I either don't forget to do something in the first place or do it twice!

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  4. If I were taking just one pill, I would write down the time I took it on a slip of paper by the pill bottle. It is easy to get side tracked and not remember. Now that I am taking a raft of pills, a pill box is my savior. Mine has slots for morning, noon, eve and bedtime.
    Regardless, isn't Dr. Google a great help?

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    1. I guess I just got rushed with the phone call.

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  5. I have a weekly pill case so I can stop myself from making that mistake.

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    1. I have a system for any pills I take regularly i’ve successively used for years, but this antihistamine is just an occasional periodic pill I sometimes use for just a short time, maybe only 2 or 3 sometimes.

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  6. I only take two pills (one for blood pressure, the other vitamin D) and I always taken them immediately after breakfast, so I know I've taken them. But if I had a whole stack of pills, I'm sure I would get very confused about whether I'd taken them.

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    1. You’d likely develop a system if you had several more pills as you seem like you would do this.

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  7. When I've been distracted, like you were, I have had that happen. If it's an over-the-counter med, I usually just take it. I figure those have a built-in fail-safe. I'm probably going to be okay. If it's a prescription I've been taking all along, I skip it, figuring that its levels have been built up in my system already, and one missed dose isn't going to be the difference maker.

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    1. I do that with prescription meds, too, skip them if uncertain for some reason, though doesn't happen often.

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  8. I do that all the time and it's always a question -- better double or not one.

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    1. We all seem to have encountered the problem one time or another. Fortunately, doesn't happen often for me.

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  9. Comments unsigned and/or from commercial companies as most recently received appear to be seeking free advertising/promotion so are not posted here in keeping with blog policy.

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    1. Other comments from non-commercial individuals or organizations seeking free advertising or promotion and embedded links are not published either per blog policy.

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  10. I use those pill boxes that have the day of the week on them and I can check to see what I have taken. Stay safe.

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    1. I think those pill boxes can be helpful especially for regular pills and i have a system similar to that, too. In the situation I experienced here the pill was not part of my regular regimen which contributed to my problem

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  11. I too was going to suggest a pill caddy, I use one for my dog’s allergy pills, which he takes every day. My pill habits, however, are more like yours, and I only take allergy pills as needed, so I suspect I would have been in exactly the same situation if I had been interrupted. Glad it turned out OK.

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    1. Good to have a system for our pills and our pets, too.

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